I Was a Teenage Weredragon
by StoryGirl1997
Summary: An ancient curse. The full moon. The eerie howling. The strange footprints. The shortage of fish. Something strange is happening on Berk. And who knows what might be able to stop it. Or even how it started.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1:

**A story idea that I had to write. I hope to write many varieties of stories, and become a FanFiction legend someday. I hope that this brings me at least a step closer. The results of this story will definitely be surprising to all of you, I'm sure of it.**

* * *

_This is Berk. Our village has been here for seven generations, and it will be here for many more to come. At least that's what we hope.  
_

_But there was a secret hidden on our island that we didn't know about. An ancient curse._

_And none of us knew who'd be the victim...until the first Transformation._

Ever since the ending of the Dragon War, Berk had been a peaceful place. But there were still many things about the island that the Hooligan tribe didn't know about. No one knew about the cove at Raven Point until Hiccup discovered it back when he first shot down his Night Fury, Toothless. But who knew what other secrets were hidden on the island?

It all started when the Dragon Riders were having an innocent competition on their dragons. They were practicing for defending, and hiding, themselves from attackers. Hiccup was the leader of the Berk Dragon Training Academy, and his girlfriend, Astrid Hofferson, was second in command, along with her Deadly Nadder, Stormfly.

"Okay, who wants to be the Bad Dragon this time?" Hiccup asked. They were all flying beyond the island of Berk, atop their dragons. "Don't let it be me again," Astrid said, folding her arms across her chest, "I've done it the most, and I'm getting pretty tired of it." "That would probably explain her anger management issues," Ruffnut whispered to her twin brother, Tuffnut, from atop their Hideous Zippleback, Barf and Belch. "I heard that!" Astrid shouted. "Maybe Snotlout should be it," Fishlegs suggested. His Gronkle, Meatlug, whined. "Finally, someone takes my side," Snotlout boasted. His Monstrous Nightmare, Hookfang, rolled his eyes. Astrid turned to Fishlegs. "You're kidding, right?"

Hiccup shrugged. "Well, it's either Fishlegs or the twins, then." "You know how much I hate being the bad guy in this game," Fishlegs said. Hiccup sighed. "Okay then, Ruffnut and Tuffnut will be it." "That's not fair," Tuffnut complained, "Why can't you be the bad guy for once?" "Because I'm the one riding the Night Fury," Hiccup said, matter-of-factly. "He has a point," Astrid said, "And besides, he's usually the hero." "You know you could have picked me," Snotlout said. Astrid glared at him.

"It's all settled," Hiccup said calmly, "The twins and their dragon will be the Bad Dragon this time." "Are you sure about this?" Fishlegs asked nervously. "To be honest, no I'm not," Hiccup muttered.

They split up, all heading in different directions. Fishlegs and Meatlug ended up in a forest. They didn't have any trouble flying through the trees. A minute later, the twins passed by overhead. Fishlegs was confused. "Where are you guys going?" he asked. "We're racing!" Tuffnut called back. Meatlug growled happily. "I know," Fishlegs said, "Maybe they should be it more often."

The twins, being as dumb as they were, forgot all about what they were supposed to do. That is, until they spotted both Astrid and Hiccup flying head of them. "Which one of them should we get?" Tuffnut asked his sister. Ruffnut shrugged.

While the two of them were busy trying to pick who to get, Hiccup and Astrid both split up into different directions. The twins finally decided to go after Hiccup. But by the time they decided, their targets were gone. "Great, they escaped, and it's all your fault!" Ruffnut said to her brother. "My fault? This has you written all over it!"

* * *

Hiccup wasn't aware of where they were going exactly, but at least they had gotten away. He was starting to think that he should have the twins be the Bad Dragon more often. Especially since it was really easy to get away. He spotted a cave nearby and steered Toothless inside it. Once inside, Toothless landed, and Hiccup dismounted him. "We should be safe here for a while," he said. Toothless gave a quick nod. Just then, the Night Fury's ears perked up, and he headed deeper into the cave. Hiccup noticed him. "Toothless?" He followed the black dragon as it headed deeper into the cave.

The deeper they went, the darker it got.

Toothless suddenly stopped. He shot a plasma blast at a nearby wall just as Hiccup caught up with him. "Okay, bud, what's wrong?" he asked. Toothless gestured to a rocky wall nearby. Hiccup looked at it, and noticed that there was something written there.

_He who is pure of heart, and prays to the gods at night_

_Might become a monstrous beast whenever the full moon is bright._

Hiccup didn't understand what the rhyme meant, but it had to be important. He took out his journal and copied what was written on the wall. As he did so, a small green dragon, about the size of a Terrible Terror, crawled out from around a corner of the cave. It was rather ugly looking, with a Lon snout and huge fangs, and four powerful legs, and two oversized wings. It noticed Hiccup, and started to advance on him. Toothless noticed the dragon, but before he could do anything, the small reptile looked into his eyes, subduing the Night Fury. With Toothless unable to move, the dragon crawled over to Hiccup, baring his oversized fangs.

Hiccup didn't noticed the dragon at first, as he tried to copy the writing on the wall. The little monster couched down, looking up at Hiccup as he wrote. Then, the dragon jumped up, claws outstretched, and sank its fangs into Hiccup's arm. Hiccup cried out in pain, his yells snapping Toothless out of his trance. Toothless roared at the little dragon, who let go of Hiccup and scurried away. As Hiccup's eyes followed the little dragon, he noticed another set of writing on the wall.

_Beware the Infector._

The little dragon, or Infector, stood below the writing revealing its name. Hiccup quickly mounted Toothless. "C'mon, bud, let's get out of here," he said, nudging Toothless in the side. The Night Fury took off, heading for the cave exit.

The Infector watched them leave, a green liquid dripping from its fangs.

* * *

When Hiccup got back to the Academy, the other Riders were there waiting for him. He didn't tell them about the Infector, but he did tell them about the cave he had hidden in, and the writing on the wall. He even showed the rhyme he had written to them. "What do you think it means?" Astrid asked. "I honestly don't know," Hiccup said, putting his journal away. His thoughts drifted back to the Infector. What was it doing in that cave? And why had it bitten him?

"Hiccup, are you okay?"

Hiccup snapped back to reality to see the others staring at him. "What?" he asked them. "You kind of zoned out a little," Astrid said, "Are you okay?" "Yeah, I'm fine," Hiccup said, "I'm just tired. I think I'll turn in early." With that, he left with Toothless. The others watched him go, extremely bewildered.

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**Any of you guys already know where this is going? If so, then don't spoil it. If all of you know, then I guess I'm not very good at covering things up. Review, follow, or favorite.**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2:

**This message is for Ferdoos, please don't tell anyone about the Weredragon's identity. I mean, it could be who you think it is, or it could be the Infector. Anyway, if anyone thinks hat this story is a bit rushed, then I apologize.**

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That night, the clouds parted to reveal the full moon, which made the night brighter than it usually was. Night owl Vikings worked in the moonlight, doing late night jobs such as carrying the remaining baskets of fish to the food storage. But they didn't know that they were being watched.

A pair of glowing green eyes were watching the Vikings carry basket after basket of fish into the food storage. As soon as the last of the food was stored, and the Vikings headed home to rest, the figure crept out of the shadows.

It was a dragon. It had green scales covering its body, a long prehensile tail, four powerful legs, and huge wings. It was rather lean, and it had a mouthful of sharp teeth, along with huge canines. After making sure that the coast was clear, the dragon walked over to the food storage building. Pulling the door open, it walked inside, using its tail to shut the door behind it. The dragon than grabbed the nearest basket of fish and opened it. It stuck its head inside the basket and started to eat the fish inside. In less than a few seconds, all of the fish in the basket were eaten, and the dragon pulled its head out of the basket to reveal the last fish in its jaws. Tipping its head back, the dragon swallowed the fish in one gulp.

The dragon continued to eat basket after basket of fish, until at least a third of the fish was gone. The dragon licked its lips. Now it was thirsty. It pushed the door open and spotted a water trough nearby. It walked over and started to drink out of it. It swallowed the water in huge gulps, drinking until the trough was completely empty. Satisfied, the dragon then approached a large torch, which was out at the moment, and with one swipe of its front paw, left a bunch of claw marks on it. This was his territory. Now even more satisfied, the dragon curled around the torch, lay down, and started to doze off.

The full moon was still shining bright in the sky.

* * *

No one was aware of the strange dragon in the plaza. They were more concerned about getting their rest.

Stoick the Vast, chief of the tribe, was inside his house, drinking a cup of mead. "You're sure it was a good idea to finish the food storage job at night?" asked a Viking with one arm and one leg missing. "I'm positive, Gobber," Stoick replied, "All of the dragons are inside, the food is inside, and therefor, I can guarantee that all of that food is untouched.

But Stoick was wrong. The food had been touched. Just not by a normal dragon.

The strange dragon was still asleep in the plaza, its long tail curled around its body. The dragon was snoring loudly, but it seemed as though no one could hear it. It suddenly woke up, and looked up at the full moon. It then lifted its head into the sky and howled. This caught the attention of all the dragons, as they woke up to see the strange dragon howling at the full moon. The dragons all shrank into the shadows, not wanting to be spotted. The dragon stopped howling and looked at all of the other dragons that were trying to hide from it. The dragon hung its head down to show that it wasn't a threat. Out of all the other dragons that approached it, a black figure caught its attention.

It was Toothless.

The Night Fury approached the dragon cautiously, in case it did anything violent. The dragon watched Toothless approach it. Then, it lowered its head in front of the confused Night Fury, and with a few gags, regurgitated half a fish. Toothless stared at the fish covered in the dragon's saliva. The dragon sat up, its eyes never leaving the Night Fury. Toothless stared at the dragon before looking down at the half-eaten fish. Grunting in indifference, Toothless picked up the fish and swallowed it in one gulp. The dragon seemed satisfied.

Toothless looked up at the strange dragon and noticed that there was something familiar about it...

Suddenly, and axe came flying out of nowhere, leaving a long gash on the side of the strange dragon's face. The dragon turned to see Astrid standing out in the open. She had returned from late-night practicing in the woods. The dragon slowly got up. It leaned down and grabbed the axe in its mouth. It then walked over to Astrid, who watched as it approached. Expecting it to attack her, Astrid braced herself. But the dragon simply set the axe down on the ground in front of her, and then nuzzled her hair.

Astrid's eyes shot open as she realized what the dragon had done. She looked up it, and noticed that the dragon seemed to be smiling at her. Why had it done that? Astrid tried to push this thought out of her mind, as she cautiously reached her hand out toward the dragon's snout. Her hand didn't get within 12 inches from the dragon before it pressed its snout onto her hand. Astrid's eyes widened as she watched the dragon rub its snout against her hand. She hadn't expected it to trust her so soon.

Then again, there was something rather familiar about the dragon's eyes...

The dragon suddenly pulled away, and then it spread its wings and took off, heading for the woods. Astrid watched it leave, confused at what had happened earlier.

* * *

Things were almost normal by the next morning. But the food storage was lacking in fish. And Hiccup was sleeping in longer than he usually did. Whenever anyone asked him what he was still doing in bed, his only response was, "I couldn't sleep."

Minutes later, Hiccup did get out of bed, but he climbed out his window and headed to the forge, grabbing his prosthetic leg before leaving. He returned half an hour later, just as Stoick was coming upstairs to check on him. "You alright, son?" Hiccup tried to force a smile. "I'm fine, Dad. I was just...tired." It was at that moment when Gobber burst into the house. "Stoick, something's happened at the food storage!" Stoick turned to look at Gobber.

"What?!"

* * *

Minutes later, more than half the village, including Stoick and the Riders, was standing in front of the food storage. There were empty fishing baskets everywhere. There was even a patch of shed skin hanging off the door handle. There was no doubt that a dragon had snuck in, but the question was what kind.

Vikings everywhere started accusing each other's dragons for breaking into the food storage, even the Riders. After a few minutes of accusations, Hiccup suddenly seemed to become very stressful. The more the Vikings argued, the more it ticked him off. Finally, he couldn't take it.

"Our dragons didn't do it! THEY DIDN'T DO IT!"

He suddenly calmed down, confused at his sudden outburst. He looked around to notice everyone staring at him. Embarrassed, he tried to think of what to say in order to explain the food storage break-in. "It...it wasn't one of our dragons, honest! It was...it was..." He suddenly came up with an idea.

"It was a Weredragon! I was going for a walk, and I saw this weird dragon go into the food storage. It used its tail to shut the doors behind it. I didn't know when it would come out, so I stayed hidden. It came out again, and then it drank all of the water that was in a food trough! Then it curled around a torch, left some scratch marks, and it went to sleep. It woke up later, and I think it howled at the moon. And that's when I got away."

"Wait a minute," Snotlout said, "You're saying that some kind of dragon just walked into the food storage, ate up the fish, drank some water, took a nap, and howled at the moon?" Hiccup rolled his eyes in frustration. "Yes!"

There was a moment of silence before Snotlout and the twins burst out laughing. Hiccup hung his head. Astrid suddenly stepped forward.

"It's true. I saw it."

Snotlout and the twins stopped laughing as Astrid explained what had happened. "I didn't however, see any sign of Hiccup," Astrid said, looking at him suspiciously. "That's because...I was gone!" Hiccup said in frustration.

Stoick sighed. "I don't care what happened, I just want this mess cleaned up by lunchtime. And we'll try to keep an eye out for this...Weredragon." He then walked off.

Hiccup was surprised at the fact that Stoick might have actually believed his story. Astrid just continued to give him a suspicious look.

* * *

**Any of you already figured the whole secret to the Weredragon? Well, there's still a bit more to know about it, so hang tight. Review, follow, or favorite.**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3:

**I can guess that you guys are all jumping to the most obvious conclusion. But there's really more to the curse than any of you guys may think. I'll be explaining it in later chapters, as the story progresses.**

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As easy as it was to believe that Hiccup had been there when the Weredragon had eaten the fish from the food storage, what was hard to understand was why he was limping. The Weredragon hadn't hurt him, and what was more confusing was that it was his bad leg that was hurt. The old wound seemed to have opened up again, and was now bleeding. Hiccup always used the same excuse for his injured leg. "The wound opened up when I ran away." As believable as it was, Astrid was more suspicious of him.

What was even more noticeable was that his leg seemed a bit uneven. It was almost as if someone had cut it off at a weird angle.

But the most noticeable feature was that Hiccup was beginning to spend more time alone. He didn't let any of his fellow Vikings come near him, and he stayed away from his friends no matter what they said to him.

Hiccup's behavior became even more strange as the days progressed. Every time the Weredragon appeared during the full moon, Hiccup spent more and more time alone, and his injured leg seemed to bleed more. He seemed to spend more time with dragons than he did with people. As he did so, Astrid's suspicion reached its peak. She had to find out what was going on. Whether Hiccup liked it or not.

* * *

Astrid found Hiccup at the Academy with Toothless. He was wrapping a fresh bandage around his leg stump, which Astrid was able to get a good look at before he wrapped it up completely. The wound was fresh, almost as if it had been cut off. There was no possible way that the wound would be that serious if it had previously opened up again. Ignoring this, Astrid walked over to her friend. "You've been acting very strange lately," she said.

Hiccup finished wrapped up his leg and looked up at her. "I have no idea what you're talking about," he said, trying to cover up. "Don't think for a minute that I haven't noticed," Astrid said stubbornly, "You haven't interacted with anyone besides the dragons, you're always somehow injuring your bad leg, and coincidently it's always after the Werdragon has appeared." "Okay, so what's your point?" Hiccup asked. "My point is that either the Weredragon is who I think it is, or you're just trying to make an excuse to the raiding of the food storage," Astrid said, "And I'm pretty sure that it's the first option." Hiccup shrugged. "It depends on who you think it is," he said. "What is it you're suggesting?" Astrid asked. Hiccup sighed and stood up. "I'm saying that maybe we shouldn't be jumping to conclusions." Astrid glared at him, folding her arms across her chest. "For me, there's only one conclusion. And that's the identity of the Weredragon." With that, she started to exit the Academy. Hiccup chuckled. "You know, that's probably why everyone thinks that you're so hard to impress."

Astrid stopped in her tracks at what Hiccup had said. She turned to face him. "Excuse me?" Hiccup shrugged carelessly. "You know, everyone has been complaining about your stubbornness." "You have a problem with my behavior?" Astrid asked, her voice full of anger, "What, are you trying to dump me or something?" "Not dump you," Hiccup said, "I'm just trying to protect you." "Protect me?" Astrid asked, "How?" Hiccup turned away. "I can't tell you," he said. Astrid scoffed. "That's funny, because if I recall, you said that you could tell me anything that was bothering you when you needed help!"

Realizing what he had done, Hiccup turned to face Astrid. "Hold on a second, that's not what I meant, I just..." "No. If that's how you want to be, then that's fine! Don't tell me anything. In fact, don't even talk to me! We're done!" With that, Astrid stormed off, leaving Hiccup with Toothless.

Hiccup watched Astrid leave, his heart breaking. Toothless approached from behind, warbling sadly. He took one look at Hiccup before he left as well. Hiccup sighed. He regretted what he had done, but now it seemed too late to fix it.

He was alone now.

* * *

Astrid couldn't believe what had happened. The Hiccup that she trusted was now treating her like nothing. She was so angry, that even Stormfly, her Deadly Nadder, stayed a safe distance from her. She refused to pay attention where she was going, and eventually found herself storming into Hiccup's house. She suddenly noticed something on the table. Hiccup's journal.

Curiosity and suspicion got the best of Astrid, as she picked up the journal and started to read through it. She soon got to the page where Hiccup had written the rhyme.

_He who is pure of heart and prays to the gods at night,_

_Might become a monstrous beast whenever the full moon is bright._

Underneath the rhyme was a picture of the Infector that Hiccup had drawn in his spare time. Underneath that was the warning about the hideous little beast.

Astrid shut the book and put it back on the table. This confirmed her theory about the Weredragon.

She headed outside, where Stormfly was waiting from a safe distance. It had gotten dark fast, and the full moon was rising. Astrid quickly got onto Stormfly's back. "We have to find Hiccup," she said. Stormfly nodded and flew off.

They searched the entire island, but there was no sign of Hiccup. What's worse, the full moon was rising higher and higher into the sky. If Astrid's theory was correct, then it was possible that Hiccup would find them first. Stormfly suddenly squawked and landed in a grassy field where the sheep were sent out to graze. The entire field looked like a war zone, with blood splattered everywhere. Scattered all around were the corpses of sheep, torn to shreds. A loud roar sounded, and the Weredragon rose into the air, blasting fire at the houses in the village.

The Weredragon had changed from a peace-loving creature, to a raging monster.

And there was nothing that could stop its new destructive ways.

* * *

**Any of you figured it out now? I've decided to make this a short, like Legend of the Boneknapper, hope you guys don't mind. I'm guessing that Ferdoos might have figured it all out, since he/she's been basically one step ahead since Chapter 1. Review, follow, favorite, and tell me what you think!**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4:

**Now the moment of truth!**

* * *

The Weredragon roared at the top of its lungs and shot another blast of fire. Nothing could stop its rampage. At least no weapon could. None of the sharpest swords or axes, or the strongest maces could even pierce its skin. It seemed unstoppable. The peace-loving creature was gone, replaced by a monstrous beast. It blasted fire all across the village, its rage growing by the minute. Until something fought its eye.

A Deadly Nadder was flying toward it. But it wasn't the dragon that had caught the beast's attention. It was its rider.

Astrid knew that she was the only one who could stop the Weredragon, but she didn't exactly know how she'd do it. She knew that she couldn't fight it, that would only make it even more angry and raged. She had two options. Either talk to it and hope to calm it down, or to wait until the clouds covered the full moon, causing the Weredragon to Transform into its human form. She'd have to give both of them a shot. She pointed into the plaza. "Stormfly, take me down there." Stormfly squawked, and did as she was told. As soon as the Nadder landed, Astrid dismounted her and ran in the direction of the destructive Weredragon.

The Weredragon stopped, he heard footsteps rapidly approaching him. He turned to see Astrid running to him. He scowled. Astrid stopped, a few feet away from him. Now what should she do?

The Weredragon glared at her, his eyes burning with rage. Astrid took a deep breath. Now was the time to prove her theory correct.

The Weredragon, who had reared up on his hind legs, dropped to all fours and began to approach Astrid. He no longer viewed her as a friend. Now she was an enemy.

But Astrid didn't give up easily. She reached her hand out, in hopes of taming the beast. The Weredragon scowled at her, baring his sharp teeth and growling. But Astrid continued to approach him, her hand outstretched. The Weredragon suddenly felt a strange feeling inside him. As he watched the Valkyrie come closer, he realized that she had faith in him. She wasn't an enemy. She wanted to be his friend.

The Weredragon shut his eyes, trying to somehow dispose of the horrible destructive feelings inside him. When he opened his eyes, they were calm. He moved his head forward so that Astrid's hand rested on his nose.

At that moment, an enormous cloud began to cover up the moon. The Weredragon looked up and realized what was going on. Pulling away from Astrid, he shrank into the shadows as he began to Transform. After a few minutes, the dragon's growls turned into human moans as it changed into its human form. That was convincing enough for Astrid to go and see what was going on. It was at that moment that the Transformation was complete, and the Weredragon was human once again. It was no surprise for Astrid when she saw who the Weredragon was in human form.

It was Hiccup.

Embarrassed, Hiccup looked up at Astrid. His clothes had somehow Transformed with him, though they were very dirty and torn. Sighing, Hiccup began to stand up, and Astrid noticed that he didn't have the prosthetic. But he didn't need it.

His left leg wasn't missing anymore. The Transformation into the Weredragon had healed him.

It was a bit awkward for Hiccup to walk without the prosthetic, since he had gotten used to using it, but that didn't stop him from making his way over to Astrid. Their eyes met, and Hiccup sighed. "I'm so sorry, Astrid. I made a huge mistake, I didn't mean to..." He was cut off by Astrid hugging him tightly. "I'm sorry too, Hiccup. I shouldn't have yelled at you. If I had known that this would happen, I wouldn't have dumped you." Feeling calm and happy, Hiccup hugged her back. Astrid suddenly pulled out of the embrace. "So, do you mind explaining all of this to me?" she asked. Hiccup sighed. Astrid definitely deserved the truth.

"On the night of my first Transformation, I was...scared. I didn't know what to think of this dragon. I mean, I've heard legends of werebeasts, and how they cause destruction and chaos, but this was different. I had control over my body. But I didn't have control over my instincts. So, I decided to satisfy my hunger and thirst. I realized later on, that I could control myself because of my emotions, which is why I went on rampaging tonight. I became upset, and that upset the monster. But there were some benefits. Every time I changed back, my leg was healed. I knew that people would notice and question it, so I did what I thought was best. I cut it off. That's why I had to bandage it. I honestly never wanted to become this creature. I was afraid of what I might not have control over, which is why I considered dumping you. I thought that if you weren't near me, you wouldn't get hurt by the Weredragon. But I was wrong. I turned into a monster."

"And that's because your heart was broken," Astrid finished. Hiccup sighed, and nodded. "So, what now?" Astrid asked. Hiccup looked at her. "We have to find a way to fix this. There has to be some way we can break the curse and make me normal." "Does it have anything to do with the Infector?" Astrid asked. Hiccup's eyes widened. "It could," he said, "But there's only one way to find out." With that, he took off running for his house.

Astrid smiled. "There's the Hiccup I know," she said. She then ran after him.

* * *

It took a while, grabbing the other teens, explaining the situation, and going through all of Bork's notes, but they finally found some information about the Infector.

"I think I found something about that dragon you guys mentioned," Fishlegs said as he read through a page so Bork's notes. "Well, what does it say?" Astrid asked. The cloud wouldn't stay in front of the moon forever, but hopefully it would stay long enough for them to solve the Weredragon problem.

Fishlegs began to read. "'Theoretically, the Infector is a vicious dragon that waits inside its cave to sink its fangs into unsuspecting victims.'" "You mean it bites people?" Snotlout asked. Fishlegs nodded. "Yep, and when it does, it releases a special venom that goes into the victim's bloodstream. Every night of a full moon, the victim Transforms into a Weredragon." "That would explain how it started," Astrid said, "Does it say how to kill the Infector?" Fishlegs looked at the notes for a few seconds before shaking his head. "Nope."

Snotlout scoffed. "Do you really buy all of that?" "I do," Astrid said, "I saw Hiccup Transform." "Wouldn't it be cool if we could Transform?" Tuffnut suddenly asked. Ruffnut nodded. "Yeah, maybe we could change into something like a Monstrous Nightmare, or maybe a Whispering Death!" "What about a Screaming Death?!" Tuffnut asked. "Guys, focus," Astrid said, "We're trying to find a way to stop the Infector." "Well, It says that no Viking weapons can pierce the Infector's skin," Fishlegs said, "And it also says that it never leaves the cave." "We could actually be on to something," Hiccup said, "If it doesn't leave the cave, then there has to be some weakness it has." "Hiccup's right," Astrid said, "There has to be something that can stop it." "Yeah, but what?" Snotlout asked, rudely. Hiccup shrugged. "Well, there's only one way to find out."

* * *

That's how they ended up flying to the cave where the Infector lived. Hiccup was riding on Stormfly with Astrid, in case he Transformed again. "Do you really think it was a good idea to bring all of our weapons?" Fishlegs asked. "What else can we do?" Hiccup asked, "We have to try everything we've got if we want to stop the Infector." "Better hurry," Tuffnut said, "'Cause the chief said that he's gonna kill the Weredragon because of what it did to the village."

Everyone stared at him with looks of shock, or in Hiccup's case, fear. "And you didn't tell us earlier because...?" Astrid asked, annoyed and angry. "Um, duh, I was talking about Transforming into a Screaming Death," Tuffnut said. "How is that more important than telling us what Stoick was planning on doing to the Weredragon?!" Astrid asked, incredibly angry and annoyed. Tuffnut shrugged. "It wasn't," he said, "But the Transforming thing was cool to talk about."

Astrid sighed in frustration and turned away. "I'm guessing this would be a bad time to talk about what happened earlier today," Hiccup said, sarcastically. Astrid sighed. "Right now, our biggest concern is to kill the Infector, break the curse, and get you back to normal before you Transform. Or worse, before your own father tries to kill you." Hiccup nodded. "Good point."

They were silent for a minute before Hiccup asked, "Do you really care about me that much?" Astrid sighed. "I don't really want to talk about it right now," she said. Hiccup shrugged. "Okay then."

It wasn't long before the Infector's Cave was in sight.

It was all or nothing.

* * *

**Any of you surprised? Or had you all figured it out before this chapter? The battle with the Infector is next. Review, follow, or favorite.**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5:

**The upcoming battle will reveal the Infector's weakness, as well as e Weredragon's. Just so you know, their weaknesses are basically the same. Except that the Weredragon has sort of an extra weakness. And the Infector has a weakness that the Weredragon doesn't have.**

* * *

The Riders had reached the Infector's Cave. If they had any intentions of ending the reign of terror, they had to find a way to get rid of the Infector. And they had to do it fast, before the cloud moved away from the moon. The problem was, they didn't know how to do it.

They'd have to give it everything they got.

Hiccup was the first to enter the cave, his Gronkle Iron shield in front of him for protection. After checking that the coast was clear, he gestured for the others to follow him. They all filed in the cave cautiously, not wanting to get bitten by the Infector themselves. "How long do you think it'll take for that cloud to move?" asked a nervous Fishlegs. "Hopefully long enough for us to figure this all out," Hiccup replied, trying to keep his voice as low as possible. Attracting the attention of the Infector without getting the chance to take action was the last thing he wanted to do.

It wasn't long before they reached the part of the cave where the rhyme and warning were written on the walls. It was too dark for them to read, or even see anything, so Astrid went back to the entrance to the cave to get Stormfly. However, she didn't notice the glowing, acid green eyes watching her. But Hiccup did.

"Astrid, look out!"

Astrid turned to see the glowing eyes, and dodged the Infector's claws just in time. Hearing the noise, Stormfly rushed into the cave, shooting fire and lighting it up. The light in the cave revealed the Infector, whose fangs were dripping green venom. It pounced, opening its mouth to sink its fangs into Astrid's arm. At the last second, Hiccup seemed to come out of nowhere, holding the shield in front of himself and Astrid. The painful bite that was meant for Astrid's arm instead made contact with the shield, shattering the Infector's huge fangs. The green venom splattered everywhere, landing on the cave walls and floor, and the Infector shrank into a ball, growling in pain.

Hiccup moved his shield to see what had happened, and his eyes widened when he saw the mess. Astrid also saw it, and she then grabbed the shield and slammed it down on the Infector's tail. The dragon howled in pain, the impact of the shield on its tail causing its bones to snap, and a thin cut appeared at the base of its tail.

Gronkle Iron was the Infector's weakness.

Thinking quickly, Astrid pushed the shield down on the Infector's body, hoping to crush it with her added weight. But the dragon wiggled free, turning around to face her. Despite having no fangs, it still had razor sharp claws that it could use to slice its victims. It pounced, but Astrid pushed it away with the shield. Realizing it couldn't attack while someone was holding the shield, the Infector started to make a series of mach charges, causing Astrid to back up a step. But she was aware of the Infector's new strategy. She backed up against the wall of the cave, keeping the shield in front of her. The Infector kept up the mach charges, drawing back with each one. However, it soon realized that its new strategy wasn't working. It decided to change tactics again. It bared its remaining teeth, which were dripping with some of the venom that had splattered everywhere. It wasn't as menacing as it had been with the huge fangs, but the venom made it almost as dangerous. If it bit anyone, the venom would drip off of its teeth and into their bloodstream, cursing them, like it had done to Hiccup.

But the Infector had made a fatal error. And it didn't realize it before a white hot flame burned its face. It shrieked in pain, the venom on its teeth catching fire and burning the inside of its mouth. While the Infector was distracted, Hiccup had gone over to Stormfly, asking her to shoot her fire at the Infector. The beastly little dragon had been so focused on spreading the curse, it wasn't aware of its surroundings, giving its opponents an opportunity to strike back.

With its mouth on fire, the Infector covered its face with its front paws, trying to snuff out the flames. Astrid seized the opportunity she had, and pushed the Infector to the ground with the shield. This time, the dragon was too injured to wiggle free. It continued to shriek in pain, the added weight of the Valkyrie on the Gronkle Iron shield slowly crushing it. Just then, Stormfly gently pushed her rider off of the shield, and placed her foot down on it, forcefully pushing down. There was a loud crunching sound, and the Infector's body fell limp.

The beast was dead.

The reign of terror was over.

* * *

By the time that the teens and Stormfly walked out of the cave, it was very late at night. They had buried the Infector's lifeless body under large boulders to make sure that it didn't get out, either by another dragon or Viking.

But they weren't off the hook yet. Hiccup was still cursed. He left his friends so he could be alone for a while. The cloud was still in front of the moon.

Astrid noticed Hiccup walk away, and decided to follow him. Hiccup didn't seem to notice her until she was standing next to him. "Coin for your thoughts," Astrid said. Hiccup sighed. "I thought that if we found a way to get rid of the Infector, we'd find a way to cure me," he said. Astrid shrugged. "We just haven't found enough clues," she said, "We'll figure something out." "How can you be so sure?" Hiccup asked. "I'm not," Astrid said, "But I know that there has to be a way to fix this." "So, it's faith?" Hiccup asked. Astrid shrugged. "I guess you could say that," she said. Hiccup sighed again. "When I Transformed tonight, I couldn't control the creature. I tried, but I couldn't. It was like there was a monster inside me, just waiting for the right moment to strike." Astrid turned to look at him. "You're not a monster, Hiccup," she said, "That was what the Infector wanted. And don't let anyone else tell you otherwise." Hiccup turned to look at her. "That's the nicest thing you've ever said to me," he said. Astrid smiled at him.

"Uh, guys?"

Hiccup and Astrid turned to see a nervous Fishlegs pointing up at the sky. They followed the direction of his finger to notice the clouds moving away, revealing the full moon. Hiccup's eyes widened as the moonlight enveloped him. His pupils thinned, and the rest of his eyes became a glowing green. They were now dragon eyes. His heartbeat seemed to increase in speed, and he started panting. "No," he muttered, backing away. But he couldn't move out of the moonlight in time to avoid Transforming. "No!" He groaned, and clutched his stomach, which was suddenly in pain. He fell to his knees, and Astrid backed away.

The Transformation was rather painful, and extremely creepy to watch. Green scales formed on Hiccup's skin, and his fingernails elongated into claws. The scales spread across his clothes, and small spines sprouted out of his back. Astrid watched, wide-eyed, at the sight of her friend becoming a dragon. Hiccup looked up at her, his eyes widened in fear and pain. Astrid understood how he felt.

He didn't want this to happen.

But there was no stopping it. His spine stretched out, and a long prehensile tail sprouted out from behind him. His clothes became less regonizable as they faded, becoming the scaly skin of the Weredragon. He didn't get much bigger, but his limbs widened, and his boots split into the clawed back feet of the dragon. Finally, his neck and face stretched out, his teeth becoming long and sharp, horns sprouting from behind his head as his hair disappeared. Astrid suddenly noticed two odd structures poking out of the dragon's back, and realized that the wings were beginning to form. She stepped back as the enormous wings shot out, spreading into full size. The Weredragon roared, the pain fading away as the last of the Transformation finished. It knelt down on the ground, exhausted.

Realizing that it was all over, Astrid started to slowly approach the Weredragon. He other teens watched her with wide eyes, Fishlegs muttering, "Bad idea, bad idea!" But Astrid didn't stop. She continued to approach, her hand held out in front of her. The Weredragon picked up his head and watched her as she came closer. He saw her outstretched hand, and immediately moved his head forward so that her hand rested on his nose. His eyes were calm as they stared into hers.

Just then, the Weredragon turned in the direction of Berk, and saw the silhouette of a Viking ship on the water. The Weredragon sniffed the air, and caught the scent of the Vikings on board. He raised his head into the air and howled at the moon before spreading his wings and taking off, heading toward the forest on Berk. He hoped that he would be able to hide in the dense shrubbery.

As the Weredragon flew off, one of the Vikings on the ship caught sight of it. It was Stoick. He scowled as the Weredragon headed back to Berk. In his mind, the Weredragon was heading back to kill more helpless victims, as it had done earlier. He was not aware whatsoever of what the Weredragon's identity was. The only thing on his mind was killing the beast, and getting rid of it once and for all.

* * *

Astrid watched as the Weredragon flew off toward Berk. Now that she knew who he was, she was worried about his well-being. There had to be something that they could do to help him. Without saying anything, she walked back into the cave, with Stormfly following. The other teens watched her go, and decided to follow.

Astrid searched the cave walls, trying to find a clue that would help them break the curse. Stormfly suddenly squawked, and shot fire at the cave wall in front of Astrid. A line of dried green liquid caught fire, burning to a crisp and falling off of the wall. It was dried Infector venom. The dried venom fell of the cave wall, revealing more writing. The other teens approached from behind as Astrid read the writing.

_A symbol of true love will break an ancient curse._

"A symbol of true love?" Astrid wondered aloud. Stormfly squawked, and nuzzled her rider. Astrid turned to her friend, a determined look on her face.

"We have to go find Hiccup."

* * *

When the Weredragon landed on Berk, it was near the edge of the village. He decided to save energy by landing near the forest and resting for a bit, hopefully gaining enough stamina to hide in the forest until either the full moon was covered once again, or when the sun rose at dawn. Suddenly the torches near the village were lit, and Vikings emerged from their houses, with weapons in their hands.

The Weredragon let out a groan. How could he have been so stupid? He turned to face the Vikings as they lit small torches, trying to drive the beast back with the flames. The Weredragon wasn't too intimidated by the flames, but he shrank back in fear at the sight of the Gronkle Iron weapons that some of the Vikings were holding. Turning toward the forest, he lunged into the bushes, his green scales camouflaging him perfectly. He warbled softly as the Vikings began muttering about his reaction to the Gronkle Iron. "We have to inform the chief," one of the Vikings said. The others agreed, heading back to the village.

The Weredragon watched them leave, his eyes showing fear.

* * *

**Three guesses at what can break the curse. And obviously, Stoick is unaware that he is trying to kill his own son. But hey, he doesn't know that Hiccup is the Weredragon. And yes, the Infector really is dead. Review, follow, or favorite.**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6:

**I know that many of you have thought that it would be a kiss that would break the curse. But as much as it may be disappointing for some of you, that's not what I had in mind. And it's not so much what Astrid has to do, it's what the Weredragon has to do.**

* * *

Astrid didn't know how to break the curse, but she did know that they had to save Hiccup before Stoick got the chance to skill him. Although she knew that Stoick didn't know who the Weredragon was, they still had to stop him from killing it. If the chief found out about the Weredragon being weak against Gronkle Iron, there would be nothing that would stop him from punishing the creature for what it did to the village. Unless Stoick somehow found out the truth about the Weredragon before he had the chance to kill it.

Astrid and the others had mounted their dragons, and were circling Berk for any signs of the Weredragon. They had thought that the creature would hide in the forest, so they had started searching there. But there were hardly any signs of their Transformed friend. Every now and then, they heard the Weredragon's lonely howl, but always in the opposite direction they were going. Obviously, the Weredragon was looking for them too. But with as much success as they were having. At the rate they were going, there was a higher possibility that Stoick would find the Weredragon before they did.

That is, until the Weredragon took to the skies.

Because the Riders had split up, Astrid was the first to notice the green dragon flying up over the treetops. She urged Stormfly to fly up to him, and the Deadly Nadder did just that. The Weredragon turned toward the sound of flapping wings, and saw Astrid and Stormfly heading toward him. He tried to smile, revealing his large canines, which poked out of his mouth. But he didn't care if Astrid saw or not. As soon as they were right in front of each other, the Weredragon flew down toward the ground, and Stormfly followed him. They both landed among the foliage of the huge forest, and Astrid dismounted her dragon. She approached the Weredragon without caution. The creature turned to look at her, his eyes calm and slightly fearful.

Not showing any fear, Astrid approached the Weredragon and pet his snout. "Don't worry," she told him softly, "We'll break the curse and change you back. It said in the cave that only a symbol of true love can do it." The Weredragon looked confused, but then his eyes widened. He leaned in so that his face was level with hers. Astrid suddenly realized what he was doing, and then leaned in and kissed him on the nose. They both stepped back, waiting to see if something would happen.

Nothing.

Hiccup was still the Weredragon.

Astrid took in a breath and brushed the hair out of her eyes. "Okay, so that wasn't it." Hiccup the Weredragon grumbled in disappointment. "Don't worry," Astrid reassured him, "We'll find a way to fix this."

At that very moment, Stoick seemed to emerge from nowhere and noticed the Weredragon standing over Astrid. Both Astrid and the Weredragon turned to see the chief standing before them with a Gronkle Iron sword in his hand. Stoick glared at the Weredragon, and held up his weapon. The creature then spread his wings and flew off, heading for Raven Point. Stoick didn't waste any time running after it.

"Stoick, wait, there's something you don't know about it!" Astrid tried to explain, but the chief was already gone. Astrid's eyes widened as she realized the danger that Hiccup was in. She ran over to Stormfly and mounted her. The Nadder took off, following the retreating Weredragon as it headed for the cliffs of Raven Point.

* * *

The Weredragon, Hiccup, was afraid. He was afraid of his own father. The man that was trying to kill him, without realizing who he was. If there had been some way for him to communicate with Stoick, he would have told him who he really was. But there wasn't, and so he couldn't tell him. And now he was running away from his own father, to avoid his unbearable fate.

He noticed a rocky cliff nearby, and decided to rest there. He knew that it would take a while for Stoick to follow him there. He collapsed to the ground. He was exhausted from the earlier rampage, as well as the Transformation, and trying to get away from his fellow villagers, and trying to find his friends, and finally, trying to get away from Stoick. He needed to rest, or else he wouldn't be able to last the night.

He looked back the way he came to see Stormfly and Astrid approaching. Just the sight of them made him feel a huge wave of relief. He lay down on the ground as the Nadder landed near the end of the cliff. Astrid dismounted her dragon before running up the the exhausted Weredragon.

The Weredragon warbled softly as Astrid knelt down next to him. She patted his hide. "It's okay," she said, "We'll find a way to fix this." The creature smiled at her, his pupils widening, which caused his eyes to look more human-like. Astrid smiled back at him. She knew that the Weredragon was really still Hiccup deep inside. Hopefully, there would be some way to help him break the curse. But when Astrid had kissed him, nothing had happened. Was there maybe another symbol of true love that would break the curse?

They lay there for a while, both waiting for Hiccup to get his strength back. But they both knew that it wouldn't be long before Stoick caught up with them. In fact...

The chief seemed to come out of nowhere, jumping up and grabbing the Weredragon's neck. He took no notice of Astrid, who was leaning against the Weredragon's hide. Feeling the chief on his neck, the Weredragon stood up, and shook his neck for side to side, trying to throw the chief off. Astrid jumped to her feet and jumped out of the way as the Weredragon kept trying to get Stoick off of him. He then tried rolling over, and the chief lost his grip. Unfortunately, Hiccup the Weredragon rolled right on top of the Gronkle Iron sword, and it pressed against his wing, breaking one of the bones. The Weredragon stood up, and his right wing hung limply at his side. He couldn't fly anymore.

Stoick stood up and noticed that the Weredragon's wing was injured. "No more flying," he muttered as he approached the injured creature. The Weredragon tried to back away, but he was at the edge of the cliff. He looked at Stoick, and realized what he should do. _Please forgive me for this, Dad,_ he thought to himself as he shot fire at the area in front of the chief. Stoick backed away as the ground in front of him caught fire. But he didn't give up. He bravely charged through the flames, which were starting to snuff out. He jumped up onto the Weredragon once again. Stunned by Stoick's movements, the Weredragon was brought back to reality at the chief's firm grip around his neck. He roared, and tried to shake him off, but the chief held on. The Weredragon knew that he couldn't roll over again, for he could hurt himself even more.

Astrid was watching the struggle, and although she wanted to help, she didn't know what she could do. She had tried a few times during the struggle to explain to Stoick who the Weredragon really was, but either Stoick was too busy fighting to listen, or there was too much noise for him to hear her.

The Weredragon soon tired out, and collapsed to the ground. This was what Stoick had been waiting for. Letting go of the creature's neck, he placed his foot behind its head. The Weredragon looked up at the Viking towering above him.

_Dad._

Stoick drew out his Gronkle Iron sword.

_Dad, please._

Stoick adjusted his firm grip on the handle of the sword.

_Dad, no!_

Stoick then raised the sword over his head, ready to end the creature's life with one blow.

Just then, a black figure knocked the chief aside. Stoick fell the the ground, and the sword slipped from his grasp. The Weredragon sat up and saw Toothless standing nearby. The Night Fury had been following the Weredragon's howls, hoping to make it in time to save his Transformed friend.

And he had.

The Weredragon stood up, and Astrid ran over to him. "Are you okay?" she asked. The Weredragon smiled, and nuzzled her hair. Astrid smiled back, and pat him on the nose. They heard a groan, and turned to see Stoick getting up. The chief noticed his sword lying nearby, and jumped to his feet to retrieve it. Toothless noticed, and leaped forward, grabbing the sword in his teeth and dragging it away from the approaching chief.

Astrid turned to the Weredragon. "You can't stay here," she said, placing both hands on his snout, "Go now!" But the Weredragon didn't go. He stayed where he was, nuzzling Astrid's hair. Astrid turned to see Toothless stumble, the sword dropping from his jaws. She turned back to the Weredragon. "Go, now! Run!" But the Weredragon stayed put. Nearby, Stoick picked up the sword, and then made a mad dash for the Weredragon. The creature saw the chief approaching, but Astrid didn't.

In the seconds that followed, things seemed to be moving in slow motion. The Weredragon watched as Stoick ran at them, the sword raised over his head. The Weredragon's eyes widened, and with one swift movement, he shoved Astrid out of the way. The Valkyrie rolled aside, just as Stoick swung his sword at the Weredragon. There was a loud roar of pain, and Astrid looked up to see a large, bleeding gash on the Weredragon's side. The creature backed away, and he slipped off the edge of the cliff. Astrid watched in horror as the Weredragon fell off the cliff and toward the ground far below.

* * *

**Cliffhanger! And can any of you guess what the symbol of true love might be? Think carefully about what happened. I know that some of you might want to kill Stoick right now, but remember, he can be very stubborn at times. Review, follow, or favorite.**


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7:

**Many of you have been waiting for this moment, I'm sure. It's time to see how it all ends.**

* * *

Astrid was frozen in shock and horror, as she heard the Weredragon's roar of pain and defeat as it fell off the cliff. There were some loud thuds, indicating that the fall was anything but painless. After a while, the noise stopped, and Astrid leapt to her feet and peered over the cliff.

The Weredragon was lying lifeless on a grassy plain far below, both of its wings lying at weird angles. The large gash on its side was visible even from how high up they were.

Not wasting any time, Astrid rushed over to Toothless, mounted him, and clicked the stirrup, causing the prosthetic to open. The Night Fury glided down the cliff expertly, with Stormfly following. Stoick watched them glide down, and confused look on his face.

The dragons landed near the spot where the Weredragon had fallen. The creature opened his eyes at the sound of wings flapping. He tried to pick up his head, but he was too weak. Astrid rushed over, knelt down next to him, and held his head in her hands. The Weredragon was so weak, he could barely move. He looked up at Astrid as she tried to hold back her tears. "It's okay," she said, more to herself than the Weredragon, "It's going to be okay." The Weredragon tried to smile, but there was too much pain. Astrid couldn't hold back her tears any longer. They flowed down her face as she pet the Weredragon gently. "I'm right here with you," she said softly. The Weredragon's eyes softened. He probably would have cried too, if he was able.

Astrid continued to pet him, silently wishing that there was something, anything, that she could do to help him. "You're not a monster," she said to him, "You never were." The Weredragon looked at her in appreciation, and then he growled. Astrid looked at him as he warbled, trying to talk to her. Astrid sighed, and shook her head sadly. "I'm sorry," she said, "I don't understand."

The Weredragon's expression softened. Gathering up what strength he had left, he lifted his right front leg, and held his paw out to her. Astrid noticed, and was unsure at first, but then she placed her hand in his. The Weredragon adjusted his paw so that he gripped her wrist. Then he pulled her hand to him, resting it on his chest where his heart was.

Astrid was surprised at first, but as she stared at her hand on his heart, she began to realize what he might have been trying to tell her. She turned to look at the Weredragon, who warbled. She looked back at her hand, and pressed it a bit further against his heart. She felt his grip loosen, but she didn't care. She looked back at him, and lifted his head up so that their faces were level with each other. The Weredragon warbled once more, softly. This time, Astrid understood completely. She sighed as more tears welled up in her eyes.

"I love you too."

She threw her arms around the Weredragon's neck, hugging him tightly. He tried to return her affection, but he couldn't lift his forearm. He rested his head on her back, the closest he could get to hugging her. He was beginning to feel very light-headed, and his vision faded in and out of focus. Astrid let go of him, and he slumped to the ground. Astrid quickly lifted his head a little, hoping to get a response. The Weredragon's eyes were barely open. With all the strength he had left, he smiled at her. His smile soon faded, and his eyes slowly closed. A soft growl emitted from his throat, and then he went silent.

Astrid's eyes widened as she realized what might have happened. No, he couldn't have...

She lifted his head slowly, waiting for some form of response.

But there was nothing.

"No," she said quietly, gently stroking his scaly face. "No, please, no."

She got no response whatsoever.

She threw herself onto his lifeless body, tears flowing rapidly out of her eyes.

Astrid Hofferson, the toughest and most beautiful girl on Berk, who hardly ever cried, was sobbing.

Nearby, Stoick and the other Riders had arrived, and the scene that met them was a sad one. The Riders knew who the Weredragon had been, and were mourning the loss of their friend.

Astrid didn't care at that moment what anyone said. She wouldn't leave her lover, even if he never woke up. Hiccup the Weredragon had taken a fatal wound for her. He couldn't take the fact that he might not be able to live without her.

He loved her too much.

In fact...

Astrid was so upset, she didn't notice that the Weredragon's wounds were healing. The gash closed up, the bleeding stopped, and the wings snapped back into place. The Weredragon stirred, and then woke up. Astrid noticed. She lifted her head off of the creature's hide, and watched as he started to get up. She stood up and backed away, just as the creature began to change. He was shrinking, and the scales were beginning to disappear. Astrid looked up to see that the moon was still out, which meant only one thing.

Astrid looked back at the creature, who was now more human than dragon. Stoick recognized the figure as it Transformed, and his eyes widened in disbelief.

"Hiccup?"

Sure enough, Hiccup was there, fully human, and looking over himself to make sure that he wasn't imagining things. Stoick looked down at his sword. Horrified that he had very nearly killed his own son, he threw the weapon to the ground.

Toothless was the first to greet his friend when he saw him Transform one last time. The black dragon bounded forward, nuzzling Hiccup affectionally. Hiccup happily hugged the dragon, and tested his voice. "Toothless." The black dragon warbled at the sound of his name. Stormfly then approached, and started to nuzzle Hiccup as well. He smiled and pat her on the nose. "You guys have no idea how happy I am to see you," he said. He looked past the dragons and noticed Stoick approaching. Toothless and Stormfly moved out of the way, allowing the chief to pass.

Hiccup hung his head in shame. "I'm sorry Dad," he said, "I was stupid. I should have told you what happened the first time that I..." "No, Hiccup, I'm sorry." Stoick laid a hand on his son's shoulder, causing him to look up. Stoick continued. "I should have understood why the creature was doing those things. And I should have known better than to attack it after what it did tonight." "Dad, that wasn't me," Hiccup said, "The creature that attacked the village, that wasn't me. It was a monster." Stoick shook his head. "I don't understand what you're trying to say, son." Hiccup sighed. "I couldn't control it," he said, "I tried, but I couldn't. I made a huge mistake, and it unleashed something I couldn't stop. It turned me into a monster."

Stoick gripped Hiccup's shoulder firmly. "We all make mistakes," he said, "And sometimes, there isn't anything we can do about it." "Dad, you nearly killed me," Hiccup pointed out. Stoick shook his head. "I'm a Viking," he said, "Sometimes I do what I think will help the village without thinking about it. I didn't know that much about the Weredragon, and I took its attack as a sign of war. And I know now that I shouldn't have. I'm sorry, Hiccup. For all I've done." Hiccup was momentarily speechless. "Thanks, Dad."

"Hiccup?"

They both turned to see Astrid standing a few feet away. Stoick took a step back as the Valkyrie approached. Hiccup's eyes widened, he had nearly forgotten about her. "Astrid." He remembered what had happened before he had passed out, realizing the possible reason why he had changed back. But before he could do or say anything, Astrid savagely punched him in the arm. Hiccup staggered backwards, clutching his arm. "What was that for?" he asked. "That's for scaring me to death!" Astrid said in anger. Then her expression softened, and she stepped closer to him. Hiccup started to back away, in case of another punch, but Astrid put her hand on his shoulder, stopping him. She leaned in so that their faces were only inches apart. "And this is for everything else," she whispered. She then closed the distance between them, kissing him softly.

Hiccup's eyes went wide. How could he have forgotten what had always followed the friendly punch? He shut his eyes, and relaxed into the kiss. After a few minutes, much too soon for Hiccup's liking, Astrid pulled away. Hiccup opened his eyes and found Astrid's staring back at him. After a few moments of silence, Hiccup spoke. "Astrid, I'm sorry about what I said before." "It's okay," Astrid said, "I'm sorry too." She paused, and then she said, "Hiccup, you sacrificed yourself to protect me?" "Of course I did," Hiccup said. He took her hand in his own. "I love you."

Behind Stoick, Fishlegs gasped in realization. "A symbol of true love will break an ancient curse!"

Hiccup loved Astrid enough to rick his life to protect her. It had been his sacrifice, and temporary death, that had broken the curse.

Hiccup thought about what Fishlegs had said. "A symbol of true love." He took a step towards Astrid, but stumbled. He had gotten used to using the prosthetic for so long, he now had trouble walking with his real leg. He started to fall, but Astrid caught him. He looked up at her, and their eyes met. Astrid helped him stand up, their gazes remaining unbroken. Hiccup gulped nervously. "Astrid, I...I..." "It's okay," Astrid said gently, "I love you too." They were both silent for a while, and then they both leaned in for a kiss. They didn't notice the others watching them, and they honestly didn't care.

Fishlegs sniffed loudly. "No matter what happens," he said to himself, "I'm not gonna cry. I promised myself that I wouldn't cry!" But he couldn't help it. He buried his face in his hands to contain his sobs. Snotlout rolled his eyes. "What a wimp," he said.

Astrid and Hiccup paid no attention to them. They just relaxed into the kiss they were sharing.

* * *

It was nearly midnight when they finally made it back to the village. Stoick walked into the plaza. "Everyone! You can come out now. The Weredragon is gone for good!"

Hearing the chief, the Vikings all emerged from their homes. "What happened, Stoick?" asked one. "Did you kill it?" asked another. Stoick just smiled. "I didn't exactly kill it," he said, "But it's gone."

Hiccup watched from a distance. He knew that his dad was keeping the Weredragon's identity a secret from the other Vikings, but they couldn't keep it a secret forever. He heard footsteps behind him, and turned to see Astrid approaching. "I'm sorry for everything," she said. Hiccup nodded. "Yeah, me too. I shouldn't have tried to dump you. I was stupid." "It's okay," Astrid said, "I know now that you were trying to protect me." Hiccup sighed. "Yeah, but that was probably the biggest mistake I ever made." Astrid shook her head, and then she hugged him tightly. "All that matters now is that you're okay," she said, "And by the way, thank you for saving me." Hiccup hugged her back gently. "I didn't want to see you get hurt," he said. Astrid pulled out of the embrace and looked him in the eye. "I know," she said quietly. She then leaned in and kissed him. This time, Hiccup wasn't surprised. He didn't hesitate to kiss her back gently.

The other teens noticed the kiss, and the twins groaned in disgust. Snotlout gave the two lovers a look of jealousy, but kept quiet.

The kiss seemed to last forever, and it was very passionate. When they pulled apart, they immediately embraced.

In Hiccup's world, everything was perfect.

_We were all wrong about the Weredragon, and the experience reminded us that there's more to things than all that meets the eye._

_I used to think that the creature inside me was a monster, waiting for the right moment to strike. But now I know that as long as I'm around those that I love, I can do anything._

_Because I know that they'll be there for me when I need them._

* * *

**So, what do you think? Leave a review, please!**


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